Scene of Singapore Riot Quiet After Alcohol Ban

Indian shop assistant K. Chidanbaram stands in a liquor store where liquor bottles are covered up with newspapers during an alcohol ban in Little India Singapore, on Dec. 14.

SINGAPORE—The site of a riot by foreign workers that rocked Singapore last week was relatively quiet on Sunday after the government implemented strict security measures and temporarily banned the sale and consumption of alcohol there in an attempt to restore order.

Over the past week authorities have erected dozens of additional street lights and 26 additional security cameras in Little India, where the riot started after a construction worker from India was hit and killed by a chartered bus on Dec. 8. On Sunday a heavy police presence kept watch on the streets.

The Little India area typically teems on the weekend with migrant workers from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka who converge along Race Course and Serangoon roads to shop and catch up with friends, often over beers. This Sunday, however, the number of people was down significantly.

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“I’ve been coming here for the last seven years, but I’ve never seen this place so quiet,” said Gopi Kumar, a construction worker from Chennai, in south India, who had come to shop for a face mask to use on the job. “The incident may have changed this place forever,” he said, noting that it was unfortunate that the authorities would need to impose controls in the area.

Restaurant and shop owners in Little India told the Wall Street Journal that sales took a big hit, though most expect revenues to pick up in the coming weeks.

“Customer numbers were really low this whole week, but that was to be expected,” said Mateen Ahmed, who runs a shop that sells beer and coffee opposite the site of last week’s riot.

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

A sign board is used as a notification of the suspension of sale and consumption of alcohol in the Little India district in Singapore, on Dec. 15.

The incident is reviving debate about Singapore’s heavy reliance on foreign laborers, particularly in low-wage sectors, such as construction. It has also triggered a debate on public drinking in the city-state, particularly in areas like Little India where large congregations of foreign workers gather.

Late on Sunday night Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew wrote in a post on his Facebook page that the temporary government measures “have helped to restore a sense of calm and order.”

“Going forward, we will have to tweak these measures so that, for everyone involved, Little India does become a better place,” wrote Mr. Lui, who had earlier said the government needed to look more carefully into the possible role alcohol played in sparking the riot.

Police have arrested dozens of people suspected of participating in the violent outbreak and charged more than 33 of them with rioting. The men, all Indian nationals, are currently in police custody and will return to court in batches starting Tuesday to announce their pleas or claim a trial.

It is not clear if they have lawyers, and the Wall Street Journal hasn’t been able to reach them for comment. Under Singapore law, the accused can plead guilty or claim trial or the police can seek further detention to carry out more investigations.

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Indonesia Real Time provides analysis and insight into the region, which includes Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei. Contact the editors at SEAsia@wsj.com.

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